When my grandmother was strong enough to speak about FGM, it stopped

I’m June, 16, from Nigeria, member of Plan UK’s Youth Advisory
Panel, Youth Observer Trustee for Plan UK and blogger for Girls’ Globe. I believe we
can end FGM and CEFM in a generation - this happened in my
family. When my grandmother was strong enough to speak about FGM,
it stopped completely.

My mother grew up in Sierra Leone, a country where an estimated
88% of girls undergo Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), also known
as female genital cutting or circumcision.

But my mother was not cut. Her mother refused to allow her
daughters to undergo the process, and as a result, they were
shunned by their community.

My grandmother was cursed by everyone and anyone, told that her
daughters were unclean and they would never find husbands. FGM
has stopped in my family because of my grandmother’s courage to
stand up for her daughters, against what she knew was an act of
violence.

Unfortunately, not all girls and women are as lucky. Worldwide,
it is estimated that 125 million women and girls bear the scars
of FGM.

FGM is defined as the partial or total removal of the female
genitalia for non-medical reasons. It is mostly carried out
between infancy and age 15.

There are three types of FGM. FGM type 1 is when a girl’s
clitoris is pricked or cut, damaging sexually sensitive skin. FGM
type 2 is the partial or total removal of the clitoris and labia
minora. It is extremely painful and can lead to infection. But by
far the worst form of FGM is FGM type 3, where a girl’s clitoris
and labia majora are cut; she is sewn up and is left with a small
hole. This hole is where she is expected to pass urine,
menstruate, have sex and have a baby. The hole can sometimes be
so small that she has to be cut open before sexual intercourse.

FGM can cause bleeding, infection and even death. It also has
consequences during childbirth. It commonly results in prolonged
labour, which in turn can lead to obstetric fistula. Obstetric
fistula means that women suffer from incontinence and are often
ostracized in their communities.

It is incredible that such a harmful and dangerous practice could
ever be seen positively, but my mother tells me how FGM was
celebrated in her community in Sierra Leone. The girl would dress
up and she would be taken away deep into the bush with 20 or 30
Bundu women. Bundu is a secretive society of women who initiate
girls into adulthood. Unaware of what was going to happen, the
girl would be told to lie down and her legs would be held firmly
by some of the women. As FGM was being performed, the other women
would sing at the top of their voices, to block out her cries.
Thirty women would sing to silence the cries of one girl.

FGM is a grave human rights violation that has serious effects on
millions of girls and women worldwide. Women who undergo FGM are
affected physically and psychologically, and it is a practice
that leaves them scarred for the rest of their lives.

We must end FGM. That’s why I’ve been campaigning with Plan UK
for the past few months, engaging other young people with an
issue that so often they know little or nothing about. I believe
that the voices of young people are crucial in helping to bring
the practice to an end. On July 19th, at the Youth for Change
summit, we have a unique opportunity for those voices to be
heard. I, along with *insert number* others, will have the chance
to tell senior government ministers what we think about ending
FGM, and child marriage too. It’s an opportunity I intend to
grasp with both hands.

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Voices of Youth (VOY) was founded in 1995 as UNICEF’s online place for young people to learn more about issues affecting their world. Today, VOY is a vibrant community of youth bloggers from all over the world, offering inspiring, original insight and opinion on a variety of topics. Everyone is welcome to write, film, comment and engage in discussions. Let’s go!